Chula Vista team wins shot at Little League World Series

Park View team members pile on after winning the championship game of the Little League Western Region finals at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino.
— John R. McCutchen / John R. McCutchen / Union-Tribune

Park View team members pile on after winning the championship game of the Little League Western Region finals at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino.
— John R. McCutchen / John R. McCutchen / Union-Tribune

SAN BERNARDINO 
As the crow flies, the distance from San Bernardino to South Williamsport, Pa., measures 2,239 miles. But Sunday night, the Chula Vista Park View All-Stars could see all the way to the home of the Little League World Series.

The 12- and 13-year-olds rallied with a five-run fifth inning to snap a 3-3 tie and went on to beat Northern California 11-4 in the West Region title game.

Park View's reward: Monday morning the kids board a charter flight to South Williamsport and will be one of 16 teams to participate in Little League's crown jewel.

Park View becomes the third team in the past nine seasons from San Diego County to advance to the Little League World Series, joining Oceanside American in 2001 and Rancho Buena Vista in 2005.

Said Park View president Rod Roberto, “It's been a magical ride.”

Park View is in its 41st season of playing Little League ball. Before this year, the furthest the team had advanced in Majors All-Star play was sectionals, four rounds before the World Series.

The game against the Northern California champions from Lakeside Little League in Granite Bay-Loomis outside Sacramento was billed as a strong pitching team (NoCal) against Park View's sluggers.

The sluggers won out.

Center fielder Kiko Garcia hit his 11th and 12th home runs of the tournament, driving in three runs. All but two of Garcia's hits in the tournament were home runs.

Park View benefited from Little League's pitch-count rules and a deeper pitching staff. Northern California starter Mitch Hart settled down after his rocky first inning and wound up allowing only the three first-inning runs.

But after 85 pitches, with one out in the top of the fifth, he had to leave the mound. Pitchers are limited to 85 pitches in a Little League All-Star game, but they're allowed to finish pitching to a batter if they're in the middle of the count after 85 pitches.

After Hart left, Northern California crumbled. The five-run fifth came on only one hit, a two-run double by Oscar Castro. Northern California's relievers couldn't find the plate, walking four batters and tossing three wild pitches. Making matters worse, the Northern California second baseman committed two errors.

By the time Ramirez hit his two-run homer and Garcia added a solo shot in the sixth, Park View's fans were standing in a packed Al Houghton Stadium and chanting “PV-LL, PV-LL, PV-LL.”

While Lakeside's relievers struggled, Isaiah Armenta came on to relieve Ramirez and pitch the final four innings for the win.

When second baseman Bulla Graft fielded a grounder with two out in the bottom of the sixth and flipped to Rios for the final out of the game, the players erupted in celebration.